One of the agenda items for our next local kids rec league Board meeting is consideration of a pay raise for our refs. The past few years, the amount of basketball played around here has increased exponentially and it's been harder and harder for us to keep, let alone recruit, experienced refs who will work these types of games. Our staunchest competitor pays $30 per game in grades 5-8 and our top pay level is $25 for HS rec and $23 for lower grades. Most of the other groups around here pay $26 - $28 for the same types of games we have regardless of grade level. My feeling is we'll come in at probably $27 or $28 per game for lower grades and $30 for HS rec.
Of course, those of us on the Board who also ref will abstain from voting.
Actually, $28 wouldn't be bad for a 3rd grade game that lasts about 40 minutes with running clock. In fact, one of our "selling points" is that 3-4 grade games are running clock, 5-6 are 6 minute quarters and 7-8-HS are 7 minute quarters, so the games are a little shorter than standard. Plus, of course, no coaching box and only players on the court may request timeouts. A lot of refs like those rules. Oh yeah - did I mention that any profanity (with a minor exception at HS level) from coaches or players is an automatic flagrant T with ejection? Spectators are ejected for profanity and/or other exceptionally poor behavior and a Board member (there's at least one at every game wearing a Board shirt) takes care of them.
These pay levels are for our experienced refs. We have three other grades of officials (first year "trainees", second year and third year) that receive a few dollars less per game. I think we may go to a lower pay scale just for first year. Experienced refs who come over to us get paid at the highest rate anyway.
One "drawback" we probably can't change is that all our officials must mail in a time sheet at the end of each calendar month and that's when they get paid by a check in the mail. That top competitor I mentioned pays at the game either by check or cash. Their home coach pays the refs no later than halftime, usually prior to the game.
I told our Board President I would be willing to work for less just to help out if he could get me the mailing list from this company (with phone numbers):
